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In 2018 when I tried to visit the area of China where Mrs. Xu, the widow Global Partners in Life has supported the longest, lives, there was a surprise snow storm, so I was unable to visit. I was told my flight to the city may make it in, but there was no way I would make it out, so I decided not to go.

A few weeks ago I returned to China, and I went to visit Mrs. Xu. In the photo above, she is the lady on the right. Unfortunately, she had some bad health news!

What I didn’t know is that Mrs. Xu had been having a thyroid problem, and her physician told her she needed surgery. Mrs. Xu didn’t have the money for the operation, so she had no plan other than her prayers.

Since I hadn’t seen Mrs. Xu in 2018, when I saw her a few weeks ago I had our financial support from 2018 and 2019! Mrs. Xu was extremely thankful to receive the gift from the generous donors of Global Partners in Life, because now she had enough money for the simple procedure she needed to have done.

When she visited the surgeon, he told her there was one medicine he wanted to try before doing surgery. Mrs. Xu started taking the new drug, and her condition is improving! For now, there is no surgery scheduled for her!

For Mrs. Xu, I want to extend a huge thank you to the people that are so generous to Global Partners in Life and enable us to help a widow in China with a medical need she couldn’t provide for by herself!

Truly, helping someone in need is an amazingly good feeling!

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Most of my blogs about the work of Global Partners in Life are centered around orphans and special needs orphans we support. We are not limited to only serving the children, and we also serve another demographic group. Do you know who they are?

Global Partners in Life has been supporting widows in China, and after my first visit to India, we started assisting widows in India as well. Would you like to hear more about them?

When we entered the slums, I was introduced to a widow who had lost her husband to tuberculosis. She has 5 daughters, and the youngest girl is a deaf-mute. It is believed surgery would restore the little girl’s hearing, and that would help her to become verbal, but the mom can’t afford the surgery. Nineteen days before we arrived, the winds and rain from the monsoon season literally ripped their home in half. In the photo above, you can see the debris field left from their home being destroyed.

Not too long after I returned home from the trip, India was hit with a devastating cyclone named Titli. As you can see in the photo above, there was widespread flooding and damaged homes of widows living in the slums.

Through the contributions from the wonderful supporters of Global Partners in Life, we were able to provide care packages and desperately needed supplies for the widows that lost their homes and possessions from the cyclone!

After I learned more about the widow’s situations, I told my friend in India it was on my heart to provide a permanent structure above the flood zone for the widows. My friend told me that was also on his heart, so we are making plans to provide a facility for the widows in India. I look forward to telling you more about this project as it develops!

Thanks so much to the friends of Global Partners in Life that enable us to provide hope to the hopeless!

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As I mentioned in a previous blog, I recently had my first visit to India. The day before I left, the friend I was meeting there notified me that there was a newborn baby at the orphanage they were taking me to see. This baby had been delivered behind some bushes in a local public park, and then just left there. I was asked to bring some necessary items for the baby, which I quickly went out to purchase. Would you like to see her?

When this photo was taken, she was about 2 weeks old! The orphanage she is in was recently opened, and they are already doing amazing things! They are fully staffed, and are already running out of room. They can only have 10 children there at one time, and they have been successful in seeing many of the children under their care adopted by loving families! Would you like to see more from this new orphanage?

This new orphanage is very clean and organized, and the staff seems to truly love the children. I am thankful and honored to say that Global Partners in Life is now financially supporting this orphanage!

In the photo above, you can see some of the children that have had life-saving care provided for them at this orphanage! I was quite impressed with the leaders, caregivers, and the facility. Thanks to the people that give generously to Global Partners in Life, these children had a place where they can receive the care, food, love, and nurturing they need 24 hours a day!

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There is a young boy named Xiao Wei at the special needs orphanage supported by Global Partners in Life. He is about five years old, and he is blind . . . but I don’t think he knows it. He constantly amazes me by how well he can walk and function inside the orphanage. He loves to dance and wrestle with his friends, and he has a very soft and sweet voice. Would you like to meet him? In the photograph below he is actually dancing!

When I was there in December, I asked him in Chinese if he knew my name. With his innocent voice, he clearly said Beau. I gave him a hug and congratulated him and I was patting his shoulder when he took my hand. He had never done that before with me, but I could tell he wanted to lead me. We walked around the orphanage, and he led the entire way!

My apologies for the poor quality of the picture above, but I was walking, holding Xiao Wei’s hand, and trying to take the picture with my left hand. Yes, I am right handed. Hopefully you can tell this is Xiao Wei leading me around his home, and I couldn’t have been happier!

The main reason I was at the special needs orphanage that day was to provide financial support for the children and the staff. Through the contributions of our generous donors, Global Partners in Life keeps the children who can go to school in school. We pay for their school fees, lunches, books, supplies, and uniforms. Also, we pay for the children’s food, utilities, toiletries, and the salaries of their caregivers. On this day I also provided Christmas gifts for the children! It was a fantastic day for all of us!

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The donors of Global Partners in Life truly came through for the special needs orphans in China! Through their generous contributions, together we were able to provide for the children and staff in many ways! Would you like to see some of them?

In the photograph above, you can see some of the toys, diapers, and clothes purchased for the children. The main request for gifts this year was for new warm clothes, since the children’s old clothes were worn and thin.

As you can see, blue jeans, coats, and jackets were purchased for the children during my trip in December. It was eleven degrees below zero Fahrenheit when I was in the city, so warm clothes are critical!

Out of all of the toys that were given to the children that day, I think the yo-yos were the biggest hit. These yo-yos were special, because they had some type of a plastic device you could insert into the center and then wrap the string around it. With the plastic device in place, the children could have the yo-yo spin in hesitation mode for a very long period of time, which enabled them to do some pretty cool tricks!

When I entered the orphanage, the leader and children came to greet me. Many of them were speaking and the leader started laughing. She told me that one of the children asked if I had brought them anything to eat, since I always bring them some chocolate from America. Obviously, I quickly passed out the miniature chocolate candy bars!

It was great seeing my young friends again! I am very thankful for the many gifts from our donors which enabled the children to have a great Christmas! We were also able to provide for the children’s food, utilities, toiletries, cleaning supplies, medical needs, and for the caregivers that serve the children daily.

This is what we can do when we come together for an important cause!

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Let me introduce you to one of my young friends from the special needs orphanage supported by Global Partners in Life in China. His name is Xiao Wei, and he is about 4 years old. Would you like to see him?

Perhaps you can tell from the photo above that he likes to play, and he has a jovial disposition, but his story is a sad one. Xiao Wei was born with a twin sister, and they were premature. Unfortunately, when the twins were put in the oxygen chamber, the protection needed for their prolonged exposure to oxygen was put over his sister’s eyes, but not his. This exposure of his eyes to all of the oxygen has caused his blindness. He does, however, sense light.

Xiao Wei has become much more vocal in the past year compared to his previous year or two at the orphanage. He likes to wrestle with the other boys, and he is without a doubt the best dancer there! When I visit, he recognizes my voice and will say, “Mom, is Beau here?” — which absolutely makes my day!

Global Partners in Life has been given his medical records and they have been given to an eye surgeon in America to review. Unfortunately, his medical needs were not addressed immediately, so for now, there is nothing that can be done. But I am happy to report that there is potentially a surgical procedure that can be performed when he is around 20 years old which could restore his vision! I would be thrilled if this actually can take place! It would be an honor to help this young fellow reach his potential and enjoy life to the fullest.

Thanks so much to the people that contribute to the work Global Partners in Life is doing! Your donations have helped many children like Xiao Wei to have the life-changing medical procedures they need and to have the highest quality of life as possible!

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At the special needs orphanage in China supported by the generous donors of Global Partners in Life, there is a very impressive little girl about 4 years old named Fei Bi. She has cerebral palsy, but has recently made many wonderful improvements! During my recent visit, I took some photos, so would you like to see her?

What is impressive about Fei Bi is how well she is responding to physical therapy! Prior to her therapy, Fei Bi had to be strapped into her wheelchair, and about the only noise she made was when she screamed or when she would grind her teeth. Global Partners in Life is funding her therapy 5 days a week, and she receives many stretching exercises as well as acupuncture. The results from her treatments have been amazing!

The first sign of improvement was Fei Bi being able to hold her head up without any assistance. That was followed by her being able to roll over all by herself! As you can see in the photo below, Fei Bi, from what I am told by those that are with her daily, is trying to become verbal. No longer does she scream like she is under some type of attack, but she is much more calm when she makes noises with her mouth!

Now that Fei Bi is receiving treatments 5 days a week, I haven’t heard her grinding her teeth. Believe me, when she would grind her teeth, you could hear her from the next room!

Thanks to your generous donations, the quality of life is improving for Fei Bi, and those that provide care for her. I am sure for the other children it is more pleasant for them to be around her as well, so this is a win–win–win situation, all made possible because of your donations.

For those of you that choose to support Global Partners in Life, you can see how your gifts are having a huge impact on our little friends at the special needs orphanage! I can never thank you enough for that!

Having recently returned from a visit with our friends at the special needs orphanage, I wanted to give you some ideas about what your donations do that you don’t see. It is easy to see a caregiver at the orphanage, or an improved condition when a child has a medical procedure. And it is easy to see the children dressed up in their school uniforms, and to see them growing from the food we purchase for them, but there is more to see than immediately meets the eye. Would you like to see what I am referencing?

Through the generosity of our donors, on this last trip I was able to provide some simple gifts for the children! Yes, Play-dough seems to be popular with children of all ages. As you can tell from the photos above, when you are one of the youngest children, you get to model the custom earrings and hats.

It was quite pleasing to see that some of the older children were enjoying playing with the Play-dough, even if they were a little mischievous with it! In the photo below, one of the older boys made a perfectly formed dumpling. Unfortunately, my photo doesn’t reveal all of the details!

As you can see from these photos, your contributions do much more than provide medical treatments, food, and utilities for the children. On this day, very close to when the new school year was starting, it gave the younger and older children smiles on their faces — and to me, that is priceless!

I can’t thank our donors enough for the joy they spread to my young friends in China, even on a day when they were just hanging out waiting for the start of a new school year.

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Respect, for me, is something that isn’t freely given away — it is earned by someone. Today, I decided to write about someone that has earned my respect. Would you care to meet her?

This is one of my earliest photos of a lady that two friends of mine introduced me to in the city where the university is when I taught in China. One of my friends literally found her dumpster-diving in the apartment complex where she lived. She asked the lady about her dumpster-diving, and heard an amazing story.

The Chinese lady, Mrs. Xu (pictured above), told my friend that her husband died in a construction accident after he fell from the 6th floor of a building that was being constructed. They had 2 children, both of them girls; so since Mrs. Xu hadn’t blessed the in-laws with a grandson, they completely ignored her and her 2 daughters. The girls were young and, to save any money they could, the 3 of them lived in an approximately 10-foot-by-8-foot concrete shed. It had no water, electricity, or heat. They only had one cot, so they would take turns sleeping on it.

My friend invited Mrs. Xu to her apartment to give the family some blankets, and when Mrs. Xu entered the apartment she began to cry. My friend asked her if she was okay, and Mrs. Xu said, “Yes, and please don’t take this the wrong way, but your dog lives a better life than I do.”

Once I met Mrs. Xu, Global Partners in Life started supporting her and her daughters immediately. One of the first things we did was to help them afford an apartment. Also, to save money, Mrs. Xu wasn’t taking her medication, so we covered that expense also.

Through your contributions to Global Partners in Life, this family has remained united! You helped them to have an apartment to call home, with utilities! They have food to eat and warm clothes to wear. Also, Mrs. Xu’s health has improved with her consistently taking her medicine! I have nothing but respect for how Mrs. Xu was willing to do all she could for her daughters, even putting her health at risk.

Thanks so much for helping my special friend in China!

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Your donations to Global Partners in Life are used to assist the special needs orphanage we support in many ways. During my last trip to China, I was able to take a photograph of the process that starts with our donors. Would you like to see what I mean?

Through your contributions and a special organization’s help, we remodeled the kitchen and now the children can have a healthier diet, and the kitchen functions better for the people working in it. Most importantly, since they now have a dishwasher, the dishes and silverware are sterilized — and when one child gets sick, no longer do all of the children get sick.

Global Partners in Life uses contributions to provide the food for the children. As you can see in this picture, noodles were being prepared that day. By the way, the hands you see preparing the noodles belong to the brother-in-law of the lady that leads the special needs orphanage. He has a special needs son that lives at home, so his level of commitment to the children at the orphanage is amazing and inspirational.

As the process continues, you have provided for the electricity used to cook the children’s meals. Since the children are receiving nutrition, they are growing to be as healthy as possible considering their preexisting conditions. Your gifts are also used to pay for the school fees, lunches, uniforms, and school supplies for the children that are physically able to attend school.

For the children that are too young or physically unable to attend school, your contributions are used to pay for the care givers that are taking care of the children. Also, you are paying for the medical procedures, doctor visits, and therapy needed by the children!

Thanks to our generous donors, the children have running water in their home, clothes to wear, cleaning supplies for the workers, and this past Christmas all of the children received a warm pair of shoes to wear.

To our donors, I will never be able to say thank you enough for enabling the children to have their needs met since they can’t provide for themselves!